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No. That was a 3x 24hours sale some weeks ago. The 2x and 3x deals pop up every now and then. Mostly around holidays. I think there was a 2x one for black friday. Most of the times they are rather short, mostly 24 to 48 hours.
I would never, ever recommend to spent money on regular priced station cash because of these. Maybe only staton cash cards, as (most of the times) those also give 2x to 3x station cash if you redeem them during a sale (but not always)

Rats. I'll keep a look out for them. I'd assume that the game launcher or in game store probably advertises them?

Yeah, you could sit on a wall and kill 300 enemy soldiers, but that's just bailing out the water. Meanwhile, the three guys sneaking around the back to blow up the spawn point might avoid all contact and only get one or two kills each, but if they take out the spawn point they'll singlehandedly save the base.

The other night we were trying to find a pretty well hidden TR Sundy at a tech plant. Hammering it from above wasn't providing the needed damage to counter their repairs. Tried a number of different approaches. Eventually I found a spot on a small outcrop that had direct line of sight. Gathered a few heavies there and it was down in a couple of minutes.

Whilst looking for that spot and getting there I must've died half a dozen ties. One maybe two kills during that. Two minutes after the sunderer were down, TR had virtually no presence in the main part of the base.

Displaying the K/D as prominently as they do, and having that be part of the regional "score" system still really irks me. It has bugger all to do with recording how "well" or usefully a player is playing.

What strikes me in the leaderboards so far (last I checked) that the top 5 are mainly heavies and one (or two) medics and the top 10 are only HA, Medic and Engineer. Kinda reflects my feeling about the other classes. They are too situational while the other three are pretty good in almost every situation.
With the class system they wanted to avoid that there are too much "jack of all trades" but in the end their class loadouts aren't that different.

No, snipers are ok. Thats what airplanes with machineguns are good against. Or tanks with explosive shells. Lots of fun there !

As long as the rate of cert income stays the same, Im happy.

As i said, i do not call Snipers OP or uncounterable or maybe even usefull.
In fact, they are very killable indeed. And sometimes they hardly help their team at all.
They are just super annoying when going infantry because you can not do anything against them and hardly avoid them. Rock, Paper, Scissors is not fun. At least for me. I would love to have any indication when a sniper is aiming in my direction. Maybe some laser pointer, maybe some glare of their scope, anything. Just so that i know ohshithidesomewhere. Anything that afterwards gives me the feeling, that i could have avoided my death or at least that he was really good and killed me within a second after he spotted me.
Several modern FPS have things like that. Or they do not have one-shot killing snipers. Or at least a missing sniper bullet can be told apart from the dozens of other bullets flying around, so that i can at least haste for cover after he missed me once.
They are not OP, just unfun and lazy designed.
I am still having a lot of fun for sure, i just feel, that snipers could be better designed or not have those bolt-action rifles. I believe they would not be better or much worse if all of them had to do with the semi-automatic rifles. That already feels way fairer than the one-shot-death version.

Isn't TR supposed to all about burst fire and lower damage, while NC is all about firepower, with Vanu in middle? Consensus that guy has drawn seems to indicate TR has best weapons statistics wise.

Speaking of weapons and such, anyone feel the weapon descriptions sometimes don't quite add up to the stats list on the right? I've seen some weapons described as close-quarters focused, when they are listed as Medium or Long, and a sniper rifle that is described as being useful for close combat is listed as long. Same with some of the reload speed, fire rate, damage, accuracy etc. stats versus what description says.

As to snipers: every sniper rifle gives off a highly visible bullet trail. If a sniper bullet whizzes past your head, believe me you KNOW. Even if you're already under fire. It's one of the more annoying parts of sniping, one missed shot and you're not gonna get the kill (even with the semi-auto snipers). Also, if you're having trouble with snipers, tell your team to establish an air presence. It's nigh impossible to snipe at most bases if the enemy has air superiority; most sniper positions are exposed to the air and aircraft can usually spot the bullet trails a mile away. Remember that PS2 is not a solo game, so the fact that a sniper can kill one person who can't react isn't that big of a deal, because as a team they can be counterplayed even if not individually. individual deaths simply aren't important. If you want the game to be balanced around your individual play and skill, then you're looking for a different game. Getting killed by a sniper is no different than getting your sunderer blown up by a liberator, or your liberator blown up by a fighter squadron. Sure, on a surface level you can counterplay those, but in reality the moment you see that enemy crest the horizon you are dead (if they are competent). This is a strategic game as much as it is tactical, if not more; it is *always* about the big picture, not the small one.

@groovy: you mean the rousing speech and the hotdrop directly into a combat zone wasn't enough to get you on your feet? In all seriousness, this game is way better played with people. Make a character and hop on mumble, then meet up with whoever's online. Grab some kind of transport and roll out to the nearest battle zone. It's a ton of fun just roaming around fighting small skirmishes for the smaller points, and then when you get into a major battle you can coordinate and work together to accomplish concrete objectives (like taking down a generator or capping a spawn point). The game's a bit dense at first but once you start playing it all starts making sense.

And as for the hot drops: remember that the hot drop location is based on where there have recently been a large number of deaths. Which often means that you're being hot dropped onto the enemies that just killed all your nearby allies.

I'm loving it. There's always something going on, even if you're playing solo you can just join one of the fronts on a base assault, or even sneak behind enemy lines solo and cut off a spawn point/vehicle spawner/whatever and seriously assist team mates you can't even see. I feel useful whatever I'm doing, even if it's dying frequently (I spend far too much time spotting enemies that jump me... just in case I don't win the trade-off).

Playing with RPS has been a blast too. Up until now I've mostly played with RPS on my own mumble server, playing LoL, and it's really cut me off from a wealth of folks who are much the same in personality - relaxed, friendly, and inclusive. Had a blast so far!

With regards to the sniper issue... a bad sniper is easy to see. The bullet trail's a dead giveaway, and people who don't have sniper rifles tend to spray so if you can distinguish single shots you can hazard a guess that it's a sniper. A good sniper, well, I doubt you'd see them with current day tech let alone future tech. Air reconnaissance should be considered a necessity to counter this - it's war, not a deathmatch.

However, there is one thing i hate. Bolt action snipers. Why are they there? I understand, that some people enjoy hiding somewhere and just collecting insta-kill headshots. And i do understand that it is quite hard to do, meaning they are possibly not OP. But i think they add nothing to the overall game.

You just cannot counter-play to snipers in PS2. You can only evade huge parts of the game if you do not want to die to them regularly. They are not fun.

I play as an NC infiltrator almost exclusively (changing when I can be more useful as a medic, engineer, or when we need close range firepower), and their default bolt action rifle is by far my favourite gun in the game. You have to reacquire your target after every shot, and everyone else can get in at least two shots before you get another one, so it forces you to pick your shots very carefully. You learn not to waste time with moving targets at range, instead waiting for the right moment, or the opportunistic shot at a light assaulter who's crouching down to get a shot at your friend.

The sheer power of it means that even if you miss the head (which it's not always worth going for), most players will take heavy damage and run for cover immediately. Compared to the fast but weak TR rifle (which is no less deadly if you go for the head), it's like carrying around the finger of god. Of course, the TR infiltrator will have the upper hand when you're sneaking around at close quarters, and everyone else will kill you in an instant if they see you first.

They can be countered, but even without the threat of snipers, it's best to always be in as much cover as possible. You're never safe anywhere, and should always have an eye on the horizon and every cliff and shadow and corner, ready to tap Q and take a shot at them, or hide and watch your allies open up. Even light assaulters can take a sniper out at long range. They die very easily once exposed.

Or at least a missing sniper bullet can be told apart from the dozens of other bullets flying around, so that i can at least haste for cover after he missed me once.

If there are that many bullets flying at you, you were going to die anyway. Using cover might be the most important skill in the game.

Primarily I'm finding it too complicated. I don't know why, I really mastered the first game and was a slaughterfest ninja, Galaxy pilot and the like. I really nailed it. I even had people following me - no, really, stop laughing.

But this one... I don't know, I look at the map on my HUD and it makes jack sense. I just end up following the zerg.

I want to get into the outfit, but comms are a real problem for me. Listening is fine, but I'm usually unable to talk - very long story, unwell wife, keeping the noise down, etc. That tends to make me not worth hanging around.

I'm also finding the expenditure of certs etc a bit of a complex act. I just dunno what I'm doing. I guess most of the above can be attributed to my age!

And lastly I guess the login. I'm reluctant to part with cash for premium access at the moment, and yet it's preventing me from playing most nights.

Overall, when I'm in the zone, I'm enjoying it. A lot. I can't wait til I work out how to use a Max because I used to enjoy that, but I'm finding a few elements a chore. Otherwise, fun fun.

If you can't talk, Mumble also offers a text chat option. Some guys with multiple monitors (like me) keep an eye on that and can invite you that way. Or you could just add Cooper or me (Boriz) as a friend in PS2 and we can add you to the outfit.

And yeah, the queue is nasty. It's party because we play on one of the two original Euro servers and all the PS1 outfits decided they wanted to go there, so all the oldblood is there. Other servers have way less queue, so if you don't care about our company and oldschoolers, make a character on a lower population server -- you'll get in much faster.

My tactic is to log in and when the queue pops up I alt-tab out, browse the web a bit and grab a coffee. I'm expecting the queue to shorten too, it's only been a week since launch so the novelty hasn't worn off yet.

Primarily I'm finding it too complicated. I don't know why, I really mastered the first game and was a slaughterfest ninja, Galaxy pilot and the like. I really nailed it. I even had people following me - no, really, stop laughing.

But this one... I don't know, I look at the map on my HUD and it makes jack sense. I just end up following the zerg.

It takes some getting used to, but people are writing guides up on this site to help others make sense of it. You'll be back in the swing of it in no time

I want to get into the outfit, but comms are a real problem for me. Listening is fine, but I'm usually unable to talk - very long story, unwell wife, keeping the noise down, etc. That tends to make me not worth hanging around.

Don't worry about that. Lots of people in the outfit only listen on mumble and don't talk on it. Some use the outfit/platoon/squad in game chat. There's no requirement to be able to talk through a mic.

And lastly I guess the login. I'm reluctant to part with cash for premium access at the moment, and yet it's preventing me from playing most nights.

Like Boris said, I also sign into the queue, take a look at it's estimated time and then alt-tab out and browse the internet, read some comics, grab a cup of tea and then come back. I also agree that over time the queues will get better as people who might not have a dedicated outfit or know/care about Miller being the home of the oldbloods all get sick of the queues and go play on other servers or just become uninterested in the game.

As Boris said, add the people in the server list as friends and when one is online you should be able to get an invite to the outfit, hop on mumble and listen in and you'll start getting into the swing of it.

"Quantacat's name is still recognised even if he watches on with detached eyes like Peter Molyneux over a cube in 3D space, staring at it with tears in his eyes, softly whispering... Someday they'll get it." - The Conclave

My only complaint so far stems from the Bio Labs. They are a hilariously terrible base design and have such a negligible impact on the territory benefits I can't see why any would bother fighting over them.

They are trivially easy to capture with even just a handful of players thanks to the obnoxious teleport pads, so much so that I can't think of an occasion where an attacking force has bothered blowing up the anti-tank shield to dominate the understructure. The outer ring of defences are effectively pointless other than for blowing up/repairing for xp, though arguably the AA turrets are 'ok' but they are too low and have poor fields of fire up to the pads that Galaxies can and will saunter in and land on a pad fairly easily.

But if defended by a decent number of players they are a total ball-ache even with the teleporters as you cannot use a proper combined-arms tactic to push when attacking because the MASSIVE SHIELD and the fact it is a mile in the air means both air and land vehicles are useless.

My only complaint so far stems from the Bio Labs. They are a hilariously terrible base design and have such a negligible impact on the territory benefits I can't see why any would bother fighting over them.

They are trivially easy to capture with even just a handful of players thanks to the obnoxious teleport pads, so much so that I can't think of an occasion where an attacking force has bothered blowing up the anti-tank shield to dominate the understructure. The outer ring of defences are effectively pointless other than for blowing up/repairing for xp, though arguably the AA turrets are 'ok' but they are too low and have poor fields of fire up to the pads that Galaxies can and will saunter in and land on a pad fairly easily.

But if defended by a decent number of players they are a total ball-ache even with the teleporters as you cannot use a proper combined-arms tactic to push when attacking because the MASSIVE SHIELD and the fact it is a mile in the air means both air and land vehicles are useless.

Worst. Base. Ever.

Really? I like the Bio Labs the most of the three.
Yes, they do not really cater to combined attacks. But as i enjoy infantry the most and hate playing World of Tanks in Planetside 2, that is a very good thing for me. Also some attacking tanks can be needed to keep the defending tanks inside their room to protect the sunderers. Sunderers parked near the lift to the airfields are otherwise very vulnerable.

And i really enjoy the fighting inside. It is so wonderfull hectic and chaotic. Also i have defended Bio Labs with onle a few friends against full squads. It is all about the SCU then, as in many Bio Labs, the main spawn room is very very close to a majority of the control nodes while attackers need to run some more.

And finally i love how important the satellites are. Gives the defenders another option to hinder the attack by retaking those. You can often reach them quite easily using a jump pad from the side of the air fields.

I suppose it all comes down to personal preference, i hate big battles at AMP Stations. After the vehicle shields are broken just once, it only becomes a question of who can spam more tanks.

I am absolutely loving the game so far. Late Saturday night I fell in with a group that was actually coordinating their offensive rather than the usual chaos - 2 galaxies and I think 3 sunderers worth of troops with assorted air and armour support, rolling from one capture to another. Felt like a glimpse of what the game will be once the initial rush settles down and people get used to the flow of battle.

My one complaint is that there's no option to transfer servers. I got some weapon unlocks using the 2x black friday station cash deal, before discovering that the communities I like to play with settled on different servers from the one I was on. Make it a paid transfer, or put a long cooldown on it, but there should be some option.

It takes some getting used to, but people are writing guides up on this site to help others make sense of it. You'll be back in the swing of it in no time

Don't worry about that. Lots of people in the outfit only listen on mumble and don't talk on it. Some use the outfit/platoon/squad in game chat. There's no requirement to be able to talk through a mic.

Like Boris said, I also sign into the queue, take a look at it's estimated time and then alt-tab out and browse the internet, read some comics, grab a cup of tea and then come back. I also agree that over time the queues will get better as people who might not have a dedicated outfit or know/care about Miller being the home of the oldbloods all get sick of the queues and go play on other servers or just become uninterested in the game.

As Boris said, add the people in the server list as friends and when one is online you should be able to get an invite to the outfit, hop on mumble and listen in and you'll start getting into the swing of it.

Thanks for all that, that'll really help me out and I should be able to get back into it. I doubt I'll be on now 'til Saturday, sadly, as Real Life(TM) has caught up with me. Bleargh.

If logging in is a problem, try other servers. I don't think I've ever seen a qeueueueue on Ceres, and Woodman is usually okay, too. I've seen no noticeable difference in player numbers once in there, either, since everyone's dispersed anyway.

I agree with DeVadder re: bio labs. If I spawn at a busy tech plant, I leave almost right away, as they're hideously boring if you can't take them quickly. Bio labs have much more room for sneaking and jetting and flanking and having little skirmishes in and around the main grindzone. Come the huge battles, I'll be off to the side somewhere rather than playing tank the tank.